AUBURN, Ala. - Twenty years as an active duty Army soldier, Eldon Dodge and a fellow Army friend had the opportunity to continue to work for the government after their military retirement. The problem Dodge had was that it would mean more time overseas and away from his family.
"I said, no! We are done with that," Dodge said. "Let's go to school and utilize our GI Bill. After that decision, we woke up one morning and said, 'Let's be pilots.'"
Auburn Athletics recognized Dodge, a professional flight major, as the Ford Game Day Hero during the home opener against Alabama State.
"I knew what it was, but I just didn't know what to expect," he said. "We got our tickets and were enjoying our seats. I thought they were just going to show my picture on the jumbotron for a quick recognition and that's it."
He was then notified that he and his family were to rendezvous to a specific location.
"Once we got directions to be at the gate. I was like, 'Okay,' said Dodge, admitting he was a little curious. "And then they walked us on the field and that's when, you know, Wow!
"It was unbelievable. Especially because I got to see the faces of my daughters. It was a powerful moment. Being recognized that way was different than being recognized when getting my awards in the Army. My family was there but it was just a different spectrum."
Having his family by his side was something Dodge said he will never forget.
"It was an amazing experience," he said. "I definitely didn't expect it."
Life as a veteran on a college campus is certainly a different experience than what a service member is used to.
"I love it," he said. "I feel like more than a student. I feel like a part of a family. I feel like a part of a tradition. It supersedes the family of my Army brethren. This is the next best thing. We are family. The Veterans Resource Center over in Foy Hall welcomed me with open arms."
Dodge did not grow up cheering for the Tigers. Ironically, he rooted for Big 12 rivals TexasandOklahoma.
"I was born in Texas and raised in Oklahoma, and I thought I was going to go to either," he said.
Life in the service comes with many different addresses all over the world.
"My kids were exhausted from being the new kid," said Dodge, whose last duty station was in nearby Fort Benning, Georgia.
"We're done moving. We are going to buy and settle here in Alabama. And we fell in love with it. We fell in love with the people, they fell in love with us, and here I am.
"We will always and forever be an Auburn family. Since I am the first, my kids will be here. I have a daughter that is soon to be 18, and I am already preparing her road to Auburn. The university has a great feeling of acceptance and she's ready to come here. She's a senior and graduates in the summer of 2019, and in the fall of 2019, she hopes to be here."
When asked what Auburn meant to him, Dodge quickly responded, "War Eagle!"
War Eagle to you, too, Mr. Dodge, and thank you for your service.
Navy veteran Jonathan Housand is a student assistant in Auburn Athletics communications
Ford Game Day Hero: Army veteran Eldon Dodge with his family during the Alabama State game